


I'm Not Lion

by iloveromance



Category: I Dream of Jeannie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24130810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: Jeannie becomes upset when Tony disapproves of her pet lion, Sim. A continuation of the episode: "The Americanization of Jeannie"
Relationships: Jeannie/Anthony "Tony" Nelson
Kudos: 3





	I'm Not Lion

The huge furry beast seemed innocent enough but Tony had no idea how he could possibly remain calm when a giant cat was less than a foot away, peering over the sofa. His eyes were filled with terror, his heart racing like a freight train.

"J-Jeannie? W-what is that?" He stammered, doing his best not to anger the would-be ferocious animal.

Jeannie smiled sweetly. "That is Sim of course."

"O-of course it is. But Sim is a-."

"A lion."

"R-right. But what's he doing here?"

"Well you said to conjure up Sim, and you were right, Master. I do need a pet to keep me company!" To Tony's horror, she began to stroke Sim's wild fur. Any moment he was sure that the beast was going to devour her. Even Jeannie may not be able to find her way out of this situation.

"Um, Jeannie, when I said you needed a pet, I-I meant a-a dog or a cat or a bird, or-."

"Sim is a cat!" She sighed and stroked his nose. "Aren't you, sweetheart?"

"B-but…"

"What's wrong, Master?"

Tony somehow managed to slip away from the sofa and moved as far back as he possibly could. "That's a lion!"

Jeannie threw her head back and laughed. "Of course he's a lion! What else would he be?"

"Right, what else would Sim be? But Jeannie, he can't stay here."

Her eye brows shot up. "What? Why not?"

"W-well, for one thing he's… he's ferocious!"

"Oh, he's just a sweet cat! He'd never hurt anyone!"

"I don't believe that for a minute." Tony muttered.

"What?"

"Um, nothing. Just… send him back, will you?"

Send him back? Why Master, how dare you!"

"Jeannie! I order you to send him back or I'll…"

"You'll what?"

"Well, I'll think of something, but that beast has got to go!"

"But-."

"NOW!"

She had that look in her eyes. That look that Tony hated more than anything. Any second she was going to cry. And he knew that this crying spell was going to last a while. She stared at Sim, stroking his fur and even dared to hug him. Tony couldn't believe that Sim took to her so well. He hated to forbid her to get rid of him. After all he was the one who told her to conjure up Sim. But how was he supposed to know that Sim was a… well, a lion? Who kept a pet lion for God's sake?

It took him a second to realize that the lion… and Jeannie were gone, vanished into thin air.

You did the right thing, Tony. He said to himself as he paced the living room. Th-that beast could have killed her, or me, or anyone who came over. And if anyone did come over and saw Sim, how could I even begin to explain? There was no possible explanation; well, not one that anyone would believe, anyway.

He wandered about the house calling her name. "Jeannie? Jeannie! Jeannie, where are you?" When there was no answer, he began to worry. She could be anywhere; or in any era imaginable. And then he worried that he might never see her again. He told himself he didn't care. She was a nuisance anyway. He didn't need her in his life. She only managed to complicate things. But those thoughts were lies.

He moved from room to room, frantically searching for her. There was no sign of her anywhere. And then he saw it, the tall bottle with the curved bottom and pointed top in a multitude of colors. With a trembling hand he removed the lid and peered inside.

"Jeannie, if you're in there…. Look… I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to upset you. I-it's just that… well, lions are dangerous. Okay, maybe not Sim, but… well, I just can't have him here in the house. You understand, don't you?"

No answer… of course. He sighed deeply. "All right. Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. If you can even hear me, just know that I mean it. I'm sorry."

He was about to put the top back on, but then he heard the soft sounds that floated out. He put the bottle to his eye, desperately trying to look inside. He couldn't see anything, but the sounds he definitely recognized. She was crying… a lot.

He knew when he was defeated, and he'd definitely been defeated. "All right, Jeannie. You win. You can keep Sim."

As if on que, the pink cloud slowly came out of the bottle and suddenly she was standing before him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Y-you mean it?" She sobbed.

His heart ached at the sight of the beautiful Jeannie and the fact that he'd made her cry. He went to his bedroom and opened the dresser drawer removing a handkerchief. And then he returned to her.

"Here."

She took it and looked at him blankly. "What's this?"

"A handkerchief."

"What's it for?"

"Um, it's a token of affection. To dry your tears."

Her head shot up. "A token of affection?"

"Well…"

She threw her arms around him and kissed him over and over. "Oh Master, you do love me, don't you?"

He found that he couldn't say no. His heart wouldn't let him.

"Thank you so much for letting Sim stay! Oh, I promise you'll grow to love him and he won't hurt you!"

"A-All right. Just… He can't stay in the house, though. He has to stay either in that bottle or in the back yard. And he can't make a sound, you understand?"

"Oh yes, Master. Sim and I are most grateful! How can we ever thank you?"

"Well, it's all right, just-."

His eyes widened with horror when he saw her fold her arms and blink. There was Sim standing right beside him. As before, Tony backed away. "Jeannie! I thought I told you that he can't be in the house!"

"I know Master, but he just wants to say thank you."

"Oh, well, all right, but then he has to go!" To his surprise, Sim walked over to him and began to nuzzle him. And he couldn't help but stroke the lion's mane. How was it possible for a ferocious lion to be… not ferocious at all?

After a few moments she sighed. "Okay, Sim. I suppose it's time for you to go outside. You'll like it out there! There's plenty of room to play!"

Tony watched, feeling somewhat helpless as Jeannie led Sim through the house and into the backyard.

"Now be good, all right?" She called to him.

"Um, Jeannie…" Tony finally said. "Look, I guess it's all right if Sim is in the house sometimes. As long as he doesn't break anything or make a mess, okay?"

"Really, Master? Does that mean you like him?"

"Actually he's not so bad." Tony admitted. "He's quite sweet, isn't he?"

Once again she threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Thank you, Master. Thank you so much. You do love me, don't you?"

This time he didn't have to say anything. He hoped that his kiss would tell her all that she needed to know.

THE END


End file.
